Kamen Rider
outside of Bandai corporate headquarters.]] , is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine around the same period. The series has spawned many sequels and evolved into a franchise. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider #1, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series itself. It is the longest Kamen Rider series to date, with 98 episodes. Story The story took place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious terrorist organization. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing. With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Hongo battled Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed superhero Kamen Rider 1. Another of Shocker's victims, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, had also been given cyborg implants, but was saved by Kamen Rider from the brainwashing process to become Kamen Rider #2. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobei Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against both Shocker and its successor organization Gel-Shocker. Characters Riders Allies * * * * * *Snack Amigo *Tachibana Racing Club- Hongo's club **Mari **Yuri **Michi **Goro Villains Shocker :Main article:Shocker * / . * (a.k.a. ) * * * * Gel-Shocker :Main article: Gel-Shocker * * *Shocker Riders Episodes Manga See Kamen Rider (manga) S.I.C. Hero Saga Published in Monthly Hobby Japan, the S.I.C. Hero Saga stories illustrated by S.I.C. figure dioramas portray stories featuring the characters from Shotaro Ishinomori series. Kamen Rider has had three different stories: Missing Link, , and . ''Missing Link ran in the July to October 2002 issues, From Here to Eternity was featured in the special issue HOBBY JAPAN MOOK S.I.C. OFFICIAL DIORAMA STORY S.I.C. HERO SAGA vol.1 Kakioroshi, and Special Episode: Escape was featured in the October 2006 issue of Hobby Japan. New characters introduced during the Missing Link story are the twelve and the . Missing Link chapter titles : # # # # Cast * : * : * : * : * : * : (Played as Eisei Amamoto) * : * : * : (Played as ) * : * : * : * : * : * : * : (Played as ) * : * : (Played as ) * : * : * : * : * : * : Songs ;Opening themes * **Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Hiroshi Fujioka with **Episodes: 1-13 * **Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony **Episodes: 14-88 * **Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Masato Shimon **Episodes: 89–98 ;Ending themes * **Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony **Episodes: 1–71 * **Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Masato Shimon **Episodes: 72–88 * **Lyrics: Mamoru Tanaka **Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi **Artist: Masato Shimon **Episodes: 89–98 External links *[http://www.ishimoripro.com Ishimori@Style] - Shotaro Ishinomori on Ishimori Productions official website *[http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/sp21/riderguide.html Kamen Rider series on Region 2 DVD] - A complete list of all official releases to date. *[http://www.toei-eigamura.com/?c=2 Toei Kyoto Studio Park] - A theme park with official events, exhibitions and shops related to the Kamen Rider.